Then you go back to the book and read chapter 2....the web site at the end of chapter two gets into the ghosts of the story...they slowly materialize through the doorway from the elevator at the basement level.  Well, here...take a look for yourself...http://theghosthunteronline.com/webscene1-2/

Each book contains about 10 webscenes...they are not just illustrations, but contain information that furthers the story, and gives you clues to solving the mystery of the book.

Trish Kline agreed to answer some of my questions.

Let's start with talking about you. You are involved in so many different kinds of educational and learning projects that it's just mind boggling to me. I checked out your home page...and you are involved in all phases of writing, publishing and even software development, and teaching. Your resume reads like it should belong to several dozen people! Tell me about yourself; what growing up was like, and what you have done up to this point.
 

Trish: Thank you. Sometimes, I am going in so many different directions, I wish I had assistance from eleven people!

Growing up… I would say I had a typical Baby Boomer childhood. My father fought in World War II. My mother was a Rosie the Riveter.

My mother loved learning. Unfortunately, due to the tragic death of her father during the Depression, at age 12, she had quit school to get a job to support her younger brother and sister. She always missed the schooling she never was able to complete. So, she became a voracious reader. She kept a dictionary on the table by her chair, always wanting to learn new words. Obviously, she passed this love and respect of words on to me. I have very early memories of being read to while sitting in her lap and at bedtime.

She taught me to read by age four. By the time I began school, I was reading at a third grade level. In fourth grade, I read Exodus. Probably not a great deal of comprehension there but I could read the words! LOL

One of my mother's favorite memories was, when I was four, someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew-up. Well, back in 1959, a little girl's grown-up options were somewhat limited by society: mother, waitress, teacher or nurse.

My mother said I looked the person straight in the eye and said, "I'm going to write books when I grow up."

She said this was the moment she knew… raising me was going to be a bumpy ride!

Bev: Is most of your work in the area of curriculum development?

Trish: Recently, yes. I have produced a great deal of educational content. I have also written over two dozen nonfiction books. However, my writing experience is quite extensive -- from journalism to software games, marketing materials to media relations for the federal government.

Of course, all of The Ghost Hunter titles will have both teacher and library media guides. I will be writing all of those. So, I don't guess I will be getting totally away from the education writing!

Bev: I see quite a few of your biographies for children on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. How many books do you have published?

Trish: I believe I have 28 titles under my name alone, another dozen titles to which I was a contributing author and about eight or ten software titles. Now, I am working on The Ghost Hunter series… and there is a second interactive book-webscene series in production for winter release. It is called Earth Academy 7.  My book count should be escalating quickly!

Bev: What did you like to read as a child? And now? Who is your favorite author?

Trish: Wow, can't say I had a favorite author then or now. As a child, I read many biographies: Presidents, baseball players, inventors, and Indian chiefs! Strangely, Leon Uris became a favorite read after that fourth grade experience with Exodus. I read all of his books in junior high and high school.

Today, I really haven't time for pleasure reading. Research reading is about all I can handle and still squeeze in a few hours sleep. I do research extensively, trying to find the facts that not only support Ghost Hunter storylines but also will rate an "oh, cool!" from the reader.

Bev: How did you first get into writing? Do you like the writing best, or the teaching?

Trish: Writing, definitely. I do enjoy working with kids. It is terrific to see that look in their eyes when an idea or concept finally hits home.

But, writing is what I do.

I was writing stories when I was five. Wrote and "produced" a puppet show when I was in second grade-for the entire school, no less! There were over a dozen speaking parts and three student puppeteers squatted with me behind the cardboard box stage! From my earliest recollection, wherever I went, I always had a book and paper and pencil. I wrote stories all the time! Most of which were coveted and stored away by my mother! LOL

Bev: Just when you think that publishing has gone about as far as it can with new ideas, someone comes up with a whole new idea. Trish, how did you come up with the innovative concept of the interactive books & website?

Trish: Divine inspiration!

Bev: How long have you been working on this concept?

Trish: A couple years or so. The concept was solid in my mind. The challenge came in trying to explain my vision to others so that they could help create something that they had never seen. Also, forget all you know about the normal storytelling process!

Interactive book-webscene storytelling is more like creating a movie than writing a book.

First, you come up with a very broad concept for the story -- as broad as the hero moves to Gettysburg. Then, think of the great visuals to which the concept could lend itself: what could happen in Gettysburg? Then, create an outline around those visuals. Finally, write the story-but load it with cliffhangers that can only be answered by going online to see the visuals. Yeah, totally backwards from normal book authoring.

Bev: Did you do the web pages? I see that Mary Kaiser Donev is also a Ghost Hunter author, is this a joint effort then? Who does the art work?

Trish: The web pages took three web design teams! As I said, a new vision is not an easy thing to create! LOL And, even now, I need a new web designer who can move forward with us as we expand into even more uncharted waters! So, if anyone has a friend or relative who is a computer guru, the number to call is…. LOL

Mary has been my writing partner on many projects for about ten years.

It's scary to think where this puts her but, after all this time, Mary can pretty well think like I think. She says my mind is definitely a scary place to visit! LOL

We will work together on many of The Ghost Hunter and Earth Academy 7 books. I will author some solo. Then, when she gets comfortable with the backward creation process of the book-webscene, she, too, will probably be authoring some titles solo.

The art is done by artists whose style and interests fit the theme of a particular book. For example, the artist for the Gettysburg title would not be a good match for the Egypt or Amazon books. The artist has a great amount of freedom in the creation. They receive a detailed outline of the book's content, to get a feel for the flow of the story. They are given very few specs for a webscene. Example: webscene is a soldier ghost.

We want the artist to use their talents and imagination. If we need a specific detail to support something in the story, we give a bit more detail: webscene is a soldier ghost holding a sword dripping with blood.

The artist provides a first rendering. Then, we begin a collaborative effort. The Gettysburg artist had some ideas for scenes that did, in fact, add twists to the storyline.

Some future books will not even have art but, rather, video and audio clips. Some webscenes will be including a game or puzzle, providing clues that advance the story. Each book will use whatever visual process that creates the most engaging reading experience.

Bev: It looks as if there will be a whole series of Ghost Hunter adventures....how soon do you expect to have the others online?

Trish: Titles are in various stages of production. We hope to have sample chapters and webscenes online in a few weeks and books available shortly thereafter.

Bev: Are these books also going to be available as e-books?

Trish: Currently, there are not plans to turn titles into e-books. Young readers are our target audience and e-books are not yet huge with them. Certainly, e-books are an option. The publisher has filed a patent on the interactive book-webscene process… so it is not unlikely that, eventually, e-books would be a product delivery method.

Bev: Do you envision interactive webscenes working with other reading levels, younger and even all the way to adult, and how?

Trish: We see it working very well with beginning and early readers. Now that educators have been so encouraging and asking for lower level books, Earth Academy 7 is coming out in the winter.

On other levels, reading specialists have suggested the concept could be great for ESL adults. We will probably explore that idea at some juncture.

What we are being told is that there are many reading populations who could benefit from the concept. This input is invaluable and, no doubt, will influence the ways in which the interactive book-webscene concept is further developed.

Bev: What do you see as the next step in your varied career?

Trish: I think The Ghost Hunter and Earth Academy 7 should keep me busy enough for a while! Educators have written to say how great the concept is working with reluctant readers and challenged populations such as special education, reading recovery, Title 1 and ESL. We have even had some high school use with remedial readers. Therefore, it seems it might be even more than we hoped! We just wanted to create a fun reading experience… and it seems to be taking on a life of its own! LOL

Bev: How do you see your new concept changing the way children will look at books in the future?

Trish: If the initial response from educators is on target, then, interactive book-webscenes may become something fundamental in helping reluctant and challenged readers get into books. What author wouldn't feel great if their work can get kids excited about reading?!

As to the book-webscene concept, I think that where it can go is limitless. It can incorporate a dozen different visual and auditory delivery process that are available today. Who knows what cool things will be available via Internet delivery in another ten years? Twenty years? Could new entertainment concepts be incorporated into webscenes? Sure. The possibilities are endless.

Maybe, someday, one of today's kids will tell his first grandchild, as they sit together at the computer screen, watching a webscene load: "You know, way back when I learned how to read, books didn't even have webscenes!" And the grandchild will ohhhhh at the horror of the thought of books without webscenes! LOL

Bev: Do you have any advice for beginners or any other thoughts that you would like to share with us?

Trish: I'm not sure if it is advice but… if you are going to endure the rejections and outlast the jeers, you have to be passionate and patient. Passion, I always had. Patience, my mother had to remind me about daily.

More important than passion and patience, you have to have one person who believes in you. When you are in the middle of the dark times, you've lost faith in yourself and want to give up, that person will be there to believe for you and refuse to let you abandon your dream.

Bev: Thanks for visiting with us. We wish you continued success in this industry that we all love.

This little book introduces an exciting new concept.  At the end of each chapter, the reader is directed to the Ghost Hunter web site to view the web scene that illustrates the text and gives new clues to help solve the mystery of the book.  The web scenes may be illustrations, animation, video or audio clips, puzzles or games that are essential to the story.

Cori Denton is able to see ghosts.  Her objective is to help these roaming spirits from the past to find peace and return to their eternal rest. She had previously assisted a headless queen who was worried about what had happened to her daughter.  When Cori discovered that the daughter had deposed her mother's executioner, the Queen was able to rest in peace and return to the past where she belonged.

Cori's Mother is an archaeologist, and her job requires them to move to Gettysburg, where the greatest battle of the Civil War occurred.  Cori and her friend, Marta, are excited over the prospect of seeing some of the hundreds of ghosts that have been sighted there.  They must learn about the cultures and the times to help those trapped between the world of the living and the dead to move to the other side. Even though Marta lives in Eagle Pass, Texas, she is able to accompany Cori on her search for ghosts through a special digital video camera, her computer and cell phones. They didn't expect to enter a room full of ghosts, all of them beckoning to them, and one of them wanting Cori dead!

Kilne has the ability to invent wonderful, likable characters that kids can really relate to.  The action is intense, and the well-researched history makes learning about the Civil War exciting even for reluctant readers. The web scene concept is an exciting innovation that will be welcomed by the readers.